Between 2004 and 2013, police were called out to the home of Sheila von Wiese-Mack’s house a total of 86 times, responding to domestic calls at the residence for a variety of reasons. In the end, whatever the reports, they weren’t enough to save the 62-year-old Wiese-Mack from her ultimate grisly fate. Investigators discovered her body in a suitcase outside one of Bali’s most prestigious resorts on Tuesday. Subsequently, the woman’s 19-year-old daughter, Heather Mack, and her boyfriend have been arrested by Indonesian authorities.

For their part, Mack and her boyfriend have told police that they were abducted by an Indonesian gang upon arriving in Bali, and that it was the gang who killed Wiese-Mack. A report in the Daily Mail suggests that the suspects’ story may not be the whole truth:

Police said the young couple left a bloodied suitcase along with other luggage in the taxi before checking out of the five-star St Regis hotel, where a single room can cost as much as $1,340 a night.

After the couple did not return, the driver took the luggage to police, who found Mrs von Wiese-Mack’s body.

Ida Bagus Putu Alit, a forensic expert at the hospital that conducted an autopsy, said the victim had been ‘hit by a blunt object and the blows were concentrated on the face and head’.

‘There were signs of a struggle by the victim as there were bruises on her arms and some fingers were broken,’ Alit said.

It’s a macabre story to be certain, but the larger lesson is that it is pure fantasy to rely on the police when faced with a dangerous situation. Whether that situation is a sudden occurrence or ongoing domestic volatility, the responsibility lies with each and every person to protect themselves to the best of their abilities. Not everyone is comfortable with owning a gun – and there’s no definitive indication that Wiese-Mack would have benefited from having one – but the fact is that there is no better weapon for self-defense.

In an era where police departments in most jurisdictions are feeling the pinch from tightening budgets, those homeowners and individuals who rely solely on the police for their protection must wake up to reality. Stories abound of criminals taking advantage of the elderly, of the weak, and of the unsuspecting. To combat it, law-abiding, respectable Americans have a duty to ramp up their personal and property-based security. That can be done through alarm systems, locks, cameras, and, yes, weaponry.

That’s what makes it so frustrating when overzealous enemies of freedom like former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg go to great lengths to scale back our Second Amendment rights. And it’s what makes it so satisfying when they are beaten back, as Bloomberg was when his $150,000 donation failed to overthrow a pro-gun sheriff in Wisconsin this week.

Guns aren’t a failsafe against victimization, but if you don’t want to wind up stuffed into a suitcase, they can give you a fighting chance.